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March 2010
4 March
Hypocrisy
There is
a famous old joke with many versions the bottom line of which goes something
like this: Q: How much money did John Paul Getty leave behind on his death bed?
A: All of it! There is an old
Celtic expression that tells us “there
are no pockets in a shroud!” Throughout our lives we are taught by
everyone from religious/spiritual teachers to our granny’s home grown wisdom
that “you can’t take it with you when
you go” and yet, as self evident as this truth obviously is, we somehow
fail to realise how much we are all mired in hypocrisy. We all fall for the
illusion that this external physical life is going to last forever and that
material wealth is, therefore, to be pursued above, and sometimes at the expense
of, all other considerations. This is reflected in the
scotomas (blind spots) that we create in our world view, as well as in the
things we tell ourselves to support this myth.
Before
you indignantly assert that this is not the case in your life think carefully,
hypocrisy is very good at sneaking in unseen. Although we like to think that our
society is enlightened we still value what a person does above their humanity;
doctors are more socially elite than cleaners, bankers fit in the who’s who
above florists, the badge on your car and “oh my dear what model did you say it was?” as well as your address
is more vital than how happy and successful you are as a human being. As long as
we feel in anyway superior to the beggar in whose cup we throw coins or feel
good about the “charity” we give
to those “more unfortunate” than
ourselves our self-righteous hypocrisy will continue to bind us and blind us to
the truth. We are all fellow voyagers,
brothers and sisters all; the breath of the infinite moves through each and
every of us.
Namaste
11
March
Mental
Hygiene
Behind
the obvious physical world, running before our actions are our thoughts and
intentions. The better the quality of our thoughts, the better the choices we
are able to make; the healthier the choices the better the quality of life. This
all seems quite linear and logical and yet we pay precious little attention to
what we allow in to our thought process. Our brain, like all computing systems
runs on GIGO (Garbage In = Garbage Out), and just as healthy computers use anti
virus software to keep them free of attack by malicious input, so does our much
vaunted grey matter. This comes in the form of discernment and constant
appraisal of the veracity of any information we may be exposed to.
Most of
us would never dream of not brushing our teeth in the mornings, or going without
washing our hair, showering, bathing or changing our clothes, and yet we never
pay attention to the state of our mental hygiene. We take on board whatever the
media – that wonderful weapon of mass distraction - and our environment
present us with. How many of us actually think for ourselves as opposed to just
recycling ideas we have heard.
To begin
the practice of becoming mentally hygienic, which needs to be done daily until
it becomes a habit, simply open your mind to other possibilities and start
looking for the “truth” in your opinions. Start by allowing yourself a few
minutes daily to simply sit quietly and watch your breath then notice what
thoughts come to the surface when you are relaxed. Which of these thoughts are
valid (in other words true, helpful or nurturing) and which are not? You will
surprise yourself with both the number and intensity of your invalid thoughts.
It is often helpful to make a list of the invalid thoughts and commit to
replacing them, one at a time, with the opposite valid one. An example of a
common invalid thought is “I’m not
worthy!” to change this to a valid thought you can remind yourself, in
your relaxed state, that you are as worthy as anyone else on the planet; the
same spark of the divine shines within the core of each of us. For the little
while every day that you remind yourself of this, you will notice your poor self
image slowly being replaced by a sense of peace and connection which will
gradually permeate the rest of your life.
An
example of the power of this will be shared next week.
18
March
Bottled
At Source
“The
Field is the sole governing principle of matter!” Albert
Einstein
We see
the sign on almost every container of “designer” water – Bottled at
Source. The reason this epithet is so beloved of the marketing aficionados is
that it is both evocative and descriptive of the place of origin of the
contents; normally some pristine alpine glacier or deep mountain granite vault
garishly portrayed on the blurb. The water in the fancy bottle, which is
designed to keep the contents free from contamination, gives the illusion of
being somehow different from the water in our household taps, rivers, lakes and
oceans but, and here is the rub; although
it may have been trapped in glaciers since the world was young, or filtered by
pre-Cambrian subterranean aquifers, the water came from the same source as all
the other water on the planet! Once the bottle is used the water, in turn,
returns to that same source – always! With the exception of small quantities
which are carried to earth in meteors, the vast majority of the water on our
shiny blue home is a closed system – it keeps getting eternally recycled.
We are
similarly bottled at source and
equally carry within us the qualities of that source. Because the vast majority
of us never give much thought to what, or where, that source may be, it is no
surprise that we never think about what our bottle
holds. Let’s take the opportunity to take a look at what we contain…
When our
container first arrived on this glorious mudball, before it developed belief
systems, self doubts and prejudices, even before it was given a name, it
contained a unit of the source. As we grew our bottle expanded and, as all of
our external senses deal with the container and not the contents, it was natural
that we identified ever more and more with it; eventually we come to firmly
believe that we are the vessel itself.
All
mystical thought, no matter what tradition it emanates from, deals with
rectifying this false belief. We are, of course, as the Yogis have it “A
unit of God Consciousness”. You
can swap the word God for Infinity, Prana, Christos, Logos, and Universe or even
as Einstein called it, “The Field” but
only the name changes, not the fact. We can no more be apart from the source as
the water in the bottle can remain separate from its starting place.
Congratulations!
You are a part of everything that is, was, or ever will be!
Namaste
25 March
Pass the Parcel
Remember
when you were very young playing Pass the
Parcel at birthday parties; you frantically handed the present, wrapped in
many layers of newspaper, to the child next to you in the circle until the music
stopped, whereupon the child who was holding it was allowed to remove one layer
of wrapping. The music started up again and the frenetic fleeting touches
continued. The person who was in possession when the last sheet was removed got
the present. The joy in the game was not only in the anticipation but evolved
from the fact that we all felt somehow involved because we all helped unwrap the
gift.
As
adults we all continue to play pass the
parcel although most of us are not aware that we do so. In childhood the interaction of the game was positive but,
most often; in adult life we try and pass our baggage on to others in negative
situations. When dealing with others we can only respond according to the
baggage that we carry. This “stuff” is made up of thoughts, prejudices,
attitudes and beliefs, often from early childhood, and which have molded us and
brought us to where we are today.
By way
of example people who habitually react angrily in various situations are not
actually responding to the situation but rather their anger is part of their
baggage. Once they learn to change their anger response for a more effective
reaction – there are always many ways to react to any particular situation –
they will experience better outcomes. In some ways life is simple and direct:
better choices leads to better outcomes.
The
other side of the coin deals with the dumpee as opposed to the dumpor. If ever
you feel that you are the brunt of some ones baggage always remember that the
response is never personal, although it may feel extremely so, it is always
about them and the way they feel threatened by something within the interaction.
It is never about you.
By
becoming aware of your preconceived beliefs and prejudices you will be improving
your interpersonal relationships and
thus make your game of Pass the Parcel more pleasurable and profitable for all
the players.
Namaste
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